At Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure's Wizarding World the awaited Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure coaster ride opens today and D&M has a selection of pictures and videos for you!
The first video filmed by The DIS will show you highlights of the Grand Opening ceremony during which Warwick Davis, Evanna Lynch, Tom Felton, Rupert Grint, James and Oliver Phelps were all present to celebrate the latest attraction added to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
The next video also filmed by The DIS will show you the walk-through in the entire queue decor including the pre-show, and up to the boarding room with the coaster train arriving, but not the ride itself as obviously it was not allowed to filmed it that day. You have, though, some footage showing the exit.
The ruins and pre-show decor were imagined and brought to life by Universal Creative in collaboration with the Harry Potter films’ Production Designer, Stuart Craig, and Art Director, Alan Gilmore. This is where your care of Magical Creatures class with Hagrid will begin and guests can see in the queue decor dragon eggs on the verge of hatching and a makeshift nursery where he kept his Blast-Ended Skrewts in a terrarium before they outgrew the chamber.
If you want to watch directly only the pre-show, have a look at this video from Behidn the Thrills. The pre-show features digital projection technology and special effects, where you’ll encounter Arthur Weasley, Hagrid, and his loyal dog, Fang.
Here are some additional thrilling fun facts about the experience and the innovative coaster technology: It has the most launches of any roller coaster in the world – with 7 total launches. You’ll launch up to 50 miles per hour through the Forbidden Forest, past the ruins and more.
It's the first coaster in the U.S. to feature a free-fall vertical drop – dropping you nearly 17 feet. Prepare yourself because you’ll be dropping quite a distance.
It's the longest roller coaster in Florida, measuring nearly a mile in length (5,053 feet). Your adventure into the Forbidden Forest is bound to be an exciting one – so keep your eyes peeled for creatures and mischief around every turn.
Enchanted motorbikes will take you on an adventure through the Forbidden Forest – and you can ride the motorcycle like Hagrid or board the adjacent sidecar like Harry Potter.
The “story coaster” will catapult you 65 feet in the air at a more than 70-degree angle…then drop you backward in one movement!
Below, a few pictures showing the empty train moving inside the ruins decor.
Then we have the first pictures of the Unicorns and the 8 feet long Blast-Ended Skrewt appearing in Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure ride at IOA Wizarding World. The Unicorns appear during the last scene of the ride and the Blast-Ended Skrewt in the first scene, inside Hagrid's Hut, with the Hagrid Audio-Animatronic.
Described as a cross between scorpions and elongated crabs, Skrewts aren’t afraid to attack other Skrewts they encounter and have incredibly strong armor that can’t be penetrated by spells – proving to be a challenge for Hagrid since they hatched.
Blast-Ended Skrewts were first introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and also mentioned in Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Hagrid created these unique creatures by crossbreeding Fire Crabs and Manticores – fierce creatures in their own right Skrewts create actual fire from their ‘blasting-ends,’ igniting at random intervals – so be wary during your encounter. Even if you’re far enough to avoid their fire, watch out as you may still catch a whiff of their powerful scent… known to smell like rotting fish.
For more about all the creatures of the ride jump to the Universal Orlando article HERE.
That's it, we have the first DAYLIGHT video of Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure full ride and front row POV! I've not done the ride because i'm miles away from Orlando but from what shows the video i'm sure it's absolutely great, not only because of the theming and Audio-Animatronics but also because of the constant high-speed of the train thanks to the seven launch during the ride! I can tell you that Disney isn't going to like this attraction, specially considering that when they will open Star Wars land in August Galaxy's Edge will have at opening day "only" the Millenium Falcon simulator ride. Universal has brillantly play the chess game...
I add two more videos of the new Hagrid's ride as these are interesting because they are not filmed from the first row like the above POV video, allowing to see riders on both the motorbike and in the sidecar. The first one below was shotby Rare Only from the third row...
...and the second video below was filmed by Theme Park Express from the back of the train.
A bit more of ride footage, including the instructions for guests for how to sit on the motorbike and side car in the video below.
Last but not least, the video from Big Fat Panda shwo you the coaster train in the load station, which in fact will apparently never have a complete stop - just liek in the Haunted Mansion guests will board by walking on a floor moving at the same speed than the train moving in the load station. If you don't get it watch the video.
Pictures: copyright Universal Studios
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